HeatherO

I changed the formatting a little to make it easier to read. I also added myself to the challenge :0). Name_________Start Weight___CurrentWeight______Goal________To Go *****<?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" /><v:shapetype id=_x0000_t75 stroked="f" filled="f" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" coordsize="21600,21600">:w00t:</v:shapetype>***********:cool2:*************:tt2:**********:wink2:********** agreatknead........237............205...........180...........25 areellady..........189............189...........159...........30 BIGB...............342............342...........300...........42 BellaPerdente......287............251...........200...........51 Boos02.............258............226...........200...........26 Brandy.............221............219...........191...........28 BrownBear..........240............235...........200...........35 Cadets71...........223.4..........223.4.........189...........34.4 Claudine...........250............250.......... 225...........25 Bunkey1965.........194............189...........170...........19 Cutiew/booty.......251............251...........220...........31 Dionna113..........199............198...........160...........38 Ekat...............527............172...........152...........19 feefee57...........262............212...........180...........32 FeliciaLevy75......240............234...........190...........44 GillieBean.........304............296...........264...........32 HeatherO...........150............150...........130...........20 Hollie ............l54............154...........125...........29 Jeni 85............182............182...........160...........22 Jillbeme...........235............212...........185...........27 Josie74............260............255...........215...........40 klmsilva...........216............216...........190...........26 legster............183............183...........160...........23 linksmom...........251............251...........200...........51 Liquidbluegal......225............225...........199...........26 Liz_hager..........161............158...........130...........28 lotzasunshine......292............291...........250...........41<v:shape id=_x0000_i1025 style="WIDTH: 21.75pt; HEIGHT: 15pt" type="#_x0000_t75" alt=""> <v:imagedata o:href="http://www.lapbandtalk.com/images/smilies/modern/thumbup1.gif" src="file:///C:DOCUME~1hm253198LOCALS~1Tempmsohtml101clip_image004.gif"></v:imagedata></v:shape> Luu2008............230............199.5.........153...........46.5 Mamanmidwife.......295............295...........260...........35 MELISSA AGUIRRE....266............233...........160...........73 Melody2006.........223............223...........173...........50 MiniPearl#2........???............???...........???...........?? neefam.............238............189...........158...........31 odizzzydori........242............242...........199...........43 paige65............252............252...........208...........44 rainer.............236............233...........199...........34 reif78.............294............195...........140...........40 RichardCranium.....338............276...........200...........76 soontobehottie.....201............201...........165...........36 srknepler..........285............285...........255...........30 squale.............353............353...........325...........28 Sunshine2..........177............175...........160...........15 stevegoad..........370............341...........267...........74 Terilynn112........240............239...........199...........41 Truediva...........299............285...........235...........50 thininside28.......255............255...........215...........40 youcandoit!........196............196...........162...........34 <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

I think I would forgo the "nekkid" pics. However, you should choose something form fitting that you wont be really embarrassed by should a friend or neighbor stumble across them. A tank top and shorts are fine. You also want to get pics from the front, side and back to really see the differences. The best before/after shots I have seen go month to month. It is amazing to see how it progresses over time. I really wish I would have gone that route. You know, I was just thinking about how a top down picture could really show the differences in circumference as well but it would be too hard to obtain without a helper on a ladder, lol. :0)

It is funny you should ask this today. I was in the doc's office for an adjustment yesterday and I asked about the difference due to some recent threads on this forum. I also have a different fill doctor now and my original surgeon told me that both are good choices and did not lead me to choose one over the other. The response is that it is like choosing between a Ford & a Chevy . . . some people swear by Ford, some people swear by Chevy and people can be extremely passionate about their choice . . . but both are really good options and can get you to goal if you are putting the effort in. I thought it was a funny analogy after reading some of the "heated" threads regarding differences lately. I have the Realize band and I am very happy with it. Had I had the Inamed band . . . I probably would have been happy with that too :0).

On the night of the 10th, I had my worst reflux ever. Coughing continuously all night long. I tried to sleep sitting up but even then it was terrible. In the morning I tried a glass of tea, drank about half a cup slowly and then pb'd it up 1/2 an hour later. I was incapable of drinking Water all morning and feeling more and more miserable. Around noon, I gave up. It was either going to be drive 4 hours for an unfill or go to the ER. I couldn't stand another single second of being miserable. I called the doctors office and they said they were open until 7 PM. My husband and I both took the afternoon off and drove to Cincinnati for an emergency unfill. The nurse removed a slight amount, and it was instant relief. I can not tell you how good it felt. On the way home, we stopped for dinner at Max & Erma's restaurant and I had a cup of tortilla Soup (without tortillas) and it was absolutely the best thing I ever tasted. I could almost ingest nothing for days. Today I feel like a million bucks. The relief has been wonderful and I can actually eat a little something. I drank a lot of water today as well just to get my hydration back up. So I don't know, did Ramadan fasting kick this issue off for me??? I don't think it was the fasting during the day but I suspect the eating and then laying down on top of a really tight band that might have contributed to it. I have a fill appointment for the 23rd of September to re-evaluate how I am doing and feeling after the unfill to see if further adjustments are necessary in either direction. I am just going to see how it goes for now. I originally intended this thread to chronicle fasting for 30 days, but I never really expected that it would lead to band problems like it has. I was going to give it my best effort, and if it wasn't working well I was going to go back to banded life as usual. I did not think it was possible for it to snowball into an emergency unfill. I guess I still have a few things to learn about banding, that's for sure.

I was having reflux problems that started a while ago but were occasional. This week has been really bad so I went in for a slight unfill . . . and instant relief. It was just that simple to have it go away for me. I think I was just a little too tight.

Name_________Start Weight__CurrentWeight______Goal______Lbs lost *****:cool2:***********:wink2:*************:tt2:*******************:w00t:* 1day at a time.....263............258.5..........243..........4.5 2BHealthE!.........194............179............194............0 ahsem2bme..........244............244............225............0 aJoneen............223............221............213............2 Aphrodite1984......208............208............190............0 Ariel..............199............196.4..........180..........2.6 ArmyWife4life......209.5..........209.5..........190............0 Barb12590..........228............223............213............5 Bea1128............210.5..........207............188..........3.5 Brandymom1234......227............151.9..........135..........4.1 Caramia71..........208............203............195............5 Crzytchr...........281............277............265............4 DebinFl............181............181............168............0 georgiagirl........245............234............230...........11 HarleyGirl.........188............187............175............1 HeatherA...........210.5..........209............200..........1.5 HeatherO...........155............150............140............5 Ivyrose325.........212............212............199............0 Jazzyywan..........255............255............190............0 Jodi_620...........196............188............177............8 KikiVal315.........237.5..........235............220............0 Lana24.............208............195............185............0 laurigee...........180............180............160............0 Leslie2Lose........220............214............205............6 lindar172 .........274.2..........271............256..........3.2 LisaB..............205.5..........200............180..........5.5 livn4thm...........235............235............210............0 Long2bthin.........248............244............230............4 Luu2008............203............199.5..........183..........3.5 KikiVal315.........237.5..........235............220..........2.5 Mamanmidwife.......299............293............280............7 mamato3............186............186............170............0 MarinaBleu.........226.5..........226.5..........216............0 memom..............210............210............170............0 Minxz..............299............287............280...........12 mominlv13..........299.8..........295............275..........4.8 nip50..............175............173............160............2 NurseNiki..........258............255............239............3 odamay.............242............242............225............0 paige65............252............247............232............5 Peaches11..........205............205............194............0 pj_txlady..........220............220............200............0 Redtulips3.........180............180............170............0 Renee74............214............213............199............1 Renewedhope........171............170............150............1 reif78.............294............195............185............0 shaversd...........230.5..........227............210..........3.5 SpecialK...........294............294............280............0 Sunshine2..........177............175............167............2 Tess...............304............304............280............0 thatDEgirl.........211............210............195............1 Turler.............225............219............210............6 wendyw.............192............192............172............0 wowox7.............195............190............170............5 WyominGirl.........327............327............312............0

I haven't done it but I have read that the best means is to establish a medical history with issues that could be resolved with a TT. For instance, if you have any kind of rash or discomfort due to the pannus, go see your pcp and have it documented and get treatment for it. It is important to establish a history of issues, you won't get it covered if you don't have something documented before you get it done.

I think it is entirely possible. I am 7 months out and am almost at goal already, and I am still losing regularly. The key is to not lose track and keep following the bandster rules and eating sensibly throughout the journey. I was at the surgeons office yesterday for a fill and met someone who lost 250 pounds banded. 250 POUNNDDSSS!!! I was so impressed. My doctor says that the 50% to 60% averages shouldn't be taken too seriously in that YOU are responsible for how much you lose. You can reach any reasonable goal if you follow the plan, stay away from slider foods, get the exercise and make the band work with you. No reason to ever sell yourself short. Anyway, I willlll reach my goal, and it is getting so close and can practically taste it. :0)

I enjoy food more than I ever have before in my life. Small portions, eating slow, savoring food have made a tremendous difference. Also I choose quality over quantity now and take time to enjoy it. I realize that with overeating, I don't think I ever even "tasted" more than the first bite or two. I wasn't consciously eating, just filling a void. Now I eat to fuel my body and it is a whole different experience, and infinitely more enjoyable then in the past.

I enjoy food more than I ever have before in my life. Small portions, eating slow, savoring food have made a tremendous difference. Also I choose quality over quantity now and take time to enjoy it. I realize that with overeating, I don't think I ever even "tasted" more than the first bite or two. I wasn't consciously eating, just filling a void. Now I eat to fuel my body and it is a whole different experience, and infinitely more enjoyable then in the past.

I had them as well but did get a full check-up, ekg and stress test and was perfectly fine. What is funny is that I never noticed anything before thinking about surgery and my health so much before banding. I almost think that I was so worried about something going wrong, perhaps I focused too much on something small or even gave them to myself with anxiety. However, nothing beats knowing for sure. If you have concerns, get it checked out. The tests are not complicated and you can knock most of it out in an afternoon. Even if you don't require them for surgery, discuss with your PCP about how you are feeling and that you would like to be tested so that he/she can put in orders to have it done. Your anxiety will not go down if you feel there is a potential problem that is unaddressed. Most likely you will find that you are fine and will feel great relief afterwards.

I wouldn't assume that it will work that way. Insurance companies really do not want to pay if they don't have to, it is the nature of the business and they are there to make money just like the rest of us. A lot of insurance companies can deny because you were not pre-authorized for the procedure, regardless of whether they would have given final authorization down the road. It may happen for some people, but I am sure that is the exception rather than the rule. Read your insurance policy, talk to them, gain as much information as you can beforehand and then choose your best route.

I am not winded going up several flights of stairs. I feel like I can walk or bike forever. It is now not a matter of taking a rest, it is more like I have other things to do. My heart rate is lower and it takes a lot more to get it going. What was vigorous activity for me before is now only moderate. Standard workouts just don't cut it for me anymore. I used to find that I was always "catching up" to my husband, now that has been reversed. Sometimes he can't keep up with me since I have sooo much more energy. I physically feeeellll goooddd. Better than I ever have. It is like I never even knew how good it could be to feel this great, because I thought how I felt before was normal. I have a spring in my step that definitely wasn't there before. I love my band!!!

I am almost 8 months out and burping is a part of my life. However, I have found that overtime, I have found ways to burp in small, internal burps that people can not hear or since. I kind of "make" myself burp but I can't explain easily how to do it. You can learn to make it virtually hidden if you desire to do so, it just takes a little practice :0)

Congratulations on the news. I think this may be an easier pregnancy as far as the gain goes. I am sure you will do fine, it must have been meant to be.

Great pic's. You have done wonderful and look fabulous.

Shoes might help but be careful because they will probably ask you to remove them. Also, being weighed with shoes is helpful but you don't want them to check your height with shoes on.

Wear layers and extra clothing, that helps. Drink a ton of Water before you go in to the office. You can also wear ankle weights under your pants which can really make a fast difference (they are cheap too, you can get them at Walmart or any department store). Perhaps you can keep a lot of extra change or something similar in your pockets. An another important thing that can help is to slouch a little when they check your height. A 1 inch difference can make a big difference in the BMI calculation. 5 pounds isn't too bad. You can get there just by being inventive.

Unless you are tightly restricted, you can carefully eat just about anything. Bread, rice, and lunchmeat give me problems at my current restriction level, almost everything else works well.

I am happy to hear you are doing so much better. You are very near teh 50 pound mark which is quite an accomplishment. Congratulations!!!

I am still fasting from food when I can but it is irregular. When I break my fast, it is usually only with Water and not food. Most days now, I am not fasting because it was taking too much of a toll on my body. I can not go without the water during the day for more than one day . . . because I feel weak and dizzy and zombie-like and sometimes if I stand up to quickly the world seems to gray out around the edges and I feel like I am going to pass out. I think I am getting dehydrated because I just can't get enough in. It can take me a good 30 minutes plus to get in one glass of water because it is trickling down soo slow. I have been adding in Protein shakes, but they go down slow as molasses as well. I can not dedicate 3+ hours in the middle of the night just to drinking something hot, eating plus the additional hour of wait time to make sure it clears the pouch before I sleep. I think my band is almost closed at night, even though I can eat during the day. To be honest, I am not surprised by this because I was like many others, I could never eat Breakfast, I could only drink it and had to wait until mid morning to do so. I had rare and occasional reflux before (couple of times a month) . . . now I have it nightly if I eat anything at night. It doesnt taste acidy but I am waking up coughing and I have to spit out whatever is in my mouth or it will happen again. It is like my stomach contents are just sitting idly in my pouch . . . all dressed up with nowhere to go. 2 nights ago, I actually had a reflux dream. I was driving an airplane and trying to get away from bad people (I can't remember the specifics). I remember I kept having to spit throughout the dream and would go to the dream restrooms, take care of business and then felt the same desire to spit almost constantly. So I am driving this airplane and having difficulty keeping it level since I am always over/under compensating with the stick. I felt my mouth was full. I couldn't leave the cockpit so I opened the window (only in a dream) and spit out on the street below. I immediately woke up with a wet pillow. I spit in my dream but I had a slimy, wet pillow to show it was real. I have never done this before in my life, that I can remember anyway. I guess I need to attribute it to too many days of disturbed sleep patterns minimizing the veil between waking and nonwaking consciousness. My husband is sad and dismayed that I have been so uncomfortable lately. He is becoming concerned about my health and wants me unfilled as soon as possible. He says he is beginning to think that being banded is a mistake, even though I have lost the weight. He said nothing is worth risking my health. I have scheduled a partial unfill for September 23rd. If it is an emergency, I can go in sooner but that also involves a 4 hour drive. At this point, I will be eating during the day and will drink nothing other than an occasional sip of water at night. I feel good about the unfill because I need to nip this reflux before it damages my band. I am also at 150 now which is only 10 pounds from goal and I have been losing steadily. I am sure I can make it to goal even with a slight unfill because my lifestyle accomodates weight loss now, even if it takes a little longer to get there. I am also going to Turkey for three weeks in mid-October and I don't want to be sick while I am there. I also know that I could potentially gain a little in Turkey because Turkish cuisine is very band friendly if you forgo the bread and the sweets. Most main dishes have the meat chopped finely and is usually simmered in vegetables and sauces with olive oil. There is usually yogurt near which helps everything go down well and is good for you. Soups are very healthy and filling and the salads are usually light without having lettuce as the primary component sprinkled with a little lemon, olive oil and salt. Whole meats and vegetables are the basis of the diet and not much of what you eat is processed at all. We eat almost entirely Turkish cuisine at home and my entire family loves it. I am willing to risk a slight, sensible gain during vacation. I am also looking forward to the uninterrupted, untroubled sleep of a non-reflux sufferer. In the future, I will definitely be getting an unfill every year before Ramadan. This year is a bit of a loss . . . and I think even as a write this that I will not be fasting anymore this year. The only way to get back on track is to either make up the fasting days missed or feed an appropriate amount of hungry people. I don't want to extend the fast because I will likely continue to suffer from the same problems, so I will make some financial contributions to help feed the hungry which will help offset my inability to fast.

I am facing a slight unfill as well and am concerned about how this will affect me. I am suffering from reflux now and I have been at the same fill level since April, but the reflux is new. How much is enough to keep the restriction but lose the reflux issues??? I just don't want to backtrack if you know what I mean.

I was told an IUD or the pill are fine. It was a bigger risk "not" to be using something reliable.

I noticed today that my emails no longer contain the data posted by the responder. I liked this feature because I don't want to necessarily look at every post, I read them in the email and decide when to respond. Example, I now get this: Dear HeatherO, tapshoes has just replied to a thread you have subscribed to entitled - Ouchhh . . . My butt hurts . . . Is it the band? - in the General Lap-Band Surgery Discussion forum of Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum. This thread is located at: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/ouchhh-my-butt-hurts-band-74898-new/ You will not receive any more notifications until you visit the forum again. All the best, Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unsubscription information::biggrin: Is this affecting everyone, or is it just a personal issue? Perhaps I clicked on something and didn't realize I changed my settings somehow.

I have the Realize band as well and am very happy with it. Be careful with people stating they are unhappy with their band choice . . . some problems are not specific to the band as much as being banded and the difficulties that banding alone brings. I remember being very frustrated when I made my initial decision because I could not find any hard evidence stating one was better than the other, only anecdotal statements. Even the doctor did not steer me strongly one way or the other. Someone mentioned statistics above on Lapband vs Realize band. Where did this information come from? Do you have a link to share with us?